Another Historic “Clásico” Between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey
Barcelona and their eternal rivals Real Madrid face off on Saturday in Seville in another historic “Clásico” that will deliver silverware to one of them, as they meet in the final of the Copa del Rey.
The two teams are already locked in a tight battle for the La Liga title, with “Barça” holding a four-point lead over Madrid (76 to 72) — and with another “Clásico” looming in match week 35 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
Before that decisive league clash, all eyes turn to Seville, where Hansi Flick’s men will look to replicate their earlier successes against Madrid this season — a commanding 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu in October, followed by a 5-2 victory in the Spanish Super Cup final held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Real Madrid have endured a turbulent campaign, already suffering 12 losses — a stark contrast to last season, when they lost just twice across all competitions. Meanwhile, Barcelona have impressed with dominant performances, particularly in the Copa del Rey, where they eased past Real Betis (5-1) and Valencia (5-0) in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals, respectively, before edging Atlético Madrid 5-4 on aggregate in the semis.
This will be Barcelona’s first final since 2021, when they lifted the trophy for a record-extending 31st time by defeating Athletic Bilbao — second in the all-time list with 24 titles.
Madrid, who last claimed the Copa del Rey in 2023, reached this year’s final thanks to a dramatic extra-time goal from Antonio Rüdiger in the second leg of their semi-final against Real Sociedad. The match ended 4-4, giving Madrid a 5-4 aggregate win after a narrow 1-0 victory in the first leg in San Sebastián.
Following their quarter-final exit from the UEFA Champions League earlier this month at the hands of Arsenal (1-5 on aggregate), “Los Merengues” are eager to bounce back by taking down their fiercest rivals.
Barcelona, however, will be without their top scorer Robert Lewandowski — the current La Liga leader with 25 goals — due to injury. Real Madrid will also miss French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, whose season appears over following a thigh injury sustained earlier this week.
French forward Kylian Mbappé, second in the scoring chart and just three goals behind Lewandowski, also missed Madrid’s narrow 1-0 win over Getafe on Wednesday with an ankle injury. But manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he is expected to be fit for the final.
Barcelona are likely to start Gerard Martín at left-back in place of the injured Alejandro Baldé — a potential weak spot that Madrid could look to exploit, possibly through Rodrygo. Yet the Brazilian winger is under pressure, having failed to score in his last 11 appearances.
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